MODOT uses a spokesman who calls himself Major Roads

= MODOT uses a spokesman who calls himself Major Roads. He barks like a drill sergeant. He tells you about the orange barr= els you’re going to see on Missouri’= s highways. He says you<= /b>’re not going to like it, but plan accordingly. Learn where the barrels are going = to be, and when you see them, slow down, put down the cell phone and drive careful= ly. Nobody likes to deal with orange barrels, but we will only have good highways if we put up with them for a while. We have just entered o= ur season of orange barrels at St. Munchin’= s. You will not like the inconveniences. But they will= build us a better highway to haven.

= Jesus made a similar announcement to his disciples. You want to follow me on the road, please do. But just know that= there will be orange barrels everywhere. <= /span>On our journey to God, some of the progress is slow. Jesus gives his disciples the same advice MODOT gives, plan accordingly. You don’t start a construction project without assessing your resources; you don’= t go to war without sizing up your enemy’= s army. In the spiritual life, = know what your resources are and how strong your enemy can be.=

= In the spiritual life our greatest resource is our faith. We believe in a God who made us an= d who loves us. Yes, we will have difficult days in life, but we believe we will have better days ahead. We have other resources: a communi= ty of believers in our families and among our friends; the word of God in the bib= le; and the sacraments of our Church that sustain us.

= Our greatest enemy is the temptation to sin.&n= bsp; Pride, greed, laziness, lust and anger all get in the way of followi= ng Christ. They are the dangers = that lurk on our path.

= To overcome these dangers, Jesus says take up your own cross: “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me= cannot be my disciple.”= Don’t try to avoid inconvenience. Orange barrels are part of the spi= ritual journey. The inconveniences o= f life make us appreciate the hard work required to be faithful to God and loving = to our neighbor.

= And don’t take up somebody else’s cross. They have to carry their own. You = cannot do it for them. Besides, when= you focus on someone else’s problems you may be avoiding the hard work of dealing with your own. Carry your own cross, Jesus says.&n= bsp; It will be heavy enough.

= We all face inconveniences at church, on the highway, in our homes, in our friendships, in our city, and just dealing with our own weaknesses. Orange barrels make us slow down.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> They force us to deal with other people. Inconveniences put us= in touch with who we really are, what we really want, and how restless we become. Through them we will = grow to be like Jesus, who overcame sin when he carried his own cross up the road t= o Calvary.